Samuel Bronfman biography
Synopsis
The son of Russian-Jews, Samuel Bronfman became wealthy during the U.S. Prohibition by supplying American bootleggers with alcohol. His Montreal-based distillery, Distillers Corporation Limited, acquired Seagram & Sons in 1928. By the 1940s, the company was the largest distiller in Canada or the U.S. At the time of his death in 1971, Bronfman had amassed a fortune of more than $400 million.Profile
A native of Canada, Bronfman was the son of Russian-Jewish emitters. Adistiller, he became a wealthy man during the U.S. Prohibition by supplyingAmerican bootleggers with alcohol, a precious commodity in the 1920s. HisMontreal-based distillery, Distillers Corp., Ltd. acquired Seagram & Sonsin 1928. The newly-formed conglomerate grew rapidly through the 1920s and30s and became, by the 1940s, the largest distiller in either Canada or theUnited States. At the time of his death in 1971, Bronfman had amassed afortune of more than $400 million and was a major contributor to Zionistcauses. After his death, Seagram was taken over by his son Edgar, and byhis grandson Edgar, Jr. in 1989.